Romans

1Truth I say in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing testimony with me in the Holy Spirit,

2that I have great grief and unceasing pain in my heart —

3for I was wishing, I myself, to be anathema from the Christ — for my brethren, my kindred, according to the flesh,

4who are Israelites, whose [is] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the service, and the promises,

5whose [are] the fathers, and of whom [is] the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed to the ages. Amen.

6And it is not possible that the word of God hath failed; for not all who [are] of Israel are these Israel;

7nor because they are seed of Abraham [are] all children, but — 'in Isaac shall a seed be called to thee;'

8that is, the children of the flesh — these [are] not children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for seed;

9for the word of promise [is] this; 'According to this time I will come, and there shall be to Sarah a son.'

10And not only [so], but also Rebecca, having conceived by one — Isaac our father —

11(for they being not yet born, neither having done anything good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to choice, might remain; not of works, but of Him who is calling,) it was said to her —

12'The greater shall serve the less;'

13according as it hath been written, 'Jacob I did love, and Esau I did hate.'

14What, then, shall we say? unrighteousness [is] with God? let it not be!

15for to Moses He saith, 'I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion;'

16so, then — not of him who is willing, nor of him who is running, but of God who is doing kindness:

17for the Writing saith to Pharaoh — 'For this very thing I did raise thee up, that I might shew in thee My power, and that My name might be declared in all the land;'

18so, then, to whom He willeth, He doth kindness, and to whom He willeth, He doth harden.

19Thou wilt say, then, to me, 'Why yet doth He find fault? for His counsel who hath resisted?'

20nay, but, O man, who art thou that art answering again to God? shall the thing formed say to Him who did form [it], Why me didst thou make thus?

21hath not the potter authority over the clay, out of the same lump to make the one vessel to honour, and the one to dishonour?

22And if God, willing to shew the wrath and to make known His power, did endure, in much long suffering, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,

23and that He might make known the riches of His glory on vessels of kindness, that He before prepared for glory, whom also He did call — us —

24not only out of Jews, but also out of nations,

25as also in Hosea He saith, 'I will call what [is] not My people — My people; and her not beloved — Beloved,

26and it shall be — in the place where it was said to them, Ye [are] not My people; there they shall be called sons of the living God.'

27And Isaiah doth cry concerning Israel, 'If the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved;

28for a matter He is finishing, and is cutting short in righteousness, because a matter cut short will the Lord do upon the land.

29and according as Isaiah saith before, 'Except the Lord of Sabaoth did leave to us a seed, as Sodom we had become, and as Gomorrah we had been made like.'

30What, then, shall we say? that nations who are not pursuing righteousness did attain to righteousness, and righteousness that [is] of faith,

31and Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, at a law of righteousness did not arrive;

32wherefore? because — not by faith, but as by works of law; for they did stumble at the stone of stumbling,

33according as it hath been written, 'Lo, I place in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; and every one who is believing thereon shall not be ashamed.'

Paul’s Concern for the Jews

1I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.

2I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood,

4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.

5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise!Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

6It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

7Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”

8So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

9For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

10Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.

11Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand,

12not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”

13So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not!

15For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

16So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

19One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?”

20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”

21Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

22What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

23What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—

24including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?

25As He says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people,and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,”

26and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,‘You are not My people,’they will be called‘sons of the living God.’”

27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea,only the remnant will be saved.

28For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earththoroughly and decisively.”

29It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants,we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”

Israel’s Unbelief

30What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

32Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

33as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumblingand a rock of offense;and the one who believes in Himwill never be put to shame.”